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A Few Mixed Questions

I've been reading a lot and I still have a few questions. Would you mind giving me your opinions on the following?:

- For the car, do you use a crate or a seat-belt? Does anyone use a booster seat?

- Tummy sensitivity: My specialty is rabbits and they have very sensitive GI tracts in general. When you get a puppy, are their tummies still very fragile? If we are to train with treats, would it be a problem to try various treats? Should I stick to just one in particular? Is it preferable that it be a chicken treat?

- What kind of human treats do dogs like to get once in a while? If tummy issues can pose a problem, at what age can these slowly be introduced?

- What kind of chew bones are good and safe for them? What size should they be?

- What kind of harness is best for the initial harness training? I have heard of a 'front-lead' harness. I am guessing this means the leash joins at the front... Is it best that way, or should the leash join at the shoulders on the back?

I think that is it for now. Sorry for babbling so much... I just want to be as informed as possible.

As we have four we have two in the back of the car in a double crate and two on the back seat in doggy safety harness but your transport has to be fairly big to get a double crate in .When they were pups they had no problem with their tummies sensitivity and for small treats we have used for a long time Barker and Barker little liver treats ,I wouldnt feed any bones yet till they are a lot bigger and more developed .Human treats we dont feed but have a look at my recent thread on feeding things other than kibble.Ww have just kitted them all out with new fleece harness dor all of them .

I use a crate in the back of the car. I've not had problems with sensitive tummies, just don't swap and change hi/ her diet quickly and you should be fine. I don't use human treats, but most of mine over the years have loved slices of carrot, cucumber, raw broccoli, even radishes and beetroot, also strawberries, satsuma segmaents, banana slices, bits of apples etc. Though I did have one girl who was definitely a meat and two meats girl. She would give me filthy looks if I tried to give her fruit or veg.I don't give rawhide chews as cavaliers chew them until they are really soggy, and then can choke on them, I know some people who will give adullts raw chicken wings, and I have tried it, but TBH - I find it much too worrying if they might choke or their guts could get pierced by them. I buy good quality dog toys Nylabone - do some really good products for chewing dogs.I use a lead and collar on my girl, and she's fine.

Puppies will vary a bit... none quite the same

A few tummies may be sensitive but that can also be a problem for a few adult dogs too. My Gracie had some issues with that but very few Cavaliers have the protein allergies that she has. She is now on a raw dogfood diet, but it is a necessity for her situation. I would look into getting a high quality food, but make sure you transition VERY slowly from what the breeder fed. Some do not react well at all to food changes if they are done too fast. I would not give human food as treats at that age...but later small bits of apple (no peel or seeds), or melon may be a good start and can be added to their food. Small amount of raw canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) is good for constipation AND runny poop...at least it has been for us.

I agree with Brian that it is early for bones. As a caution, Gracie can shred up most hard chewies very fast and some can upset her digestion, so we mostly stick to small deer and elk antlers which last forever and do not upset her. Nylabones have not worked well for her either but I think are fine for most Cavs. Just be careful to remove them once they are starting to get too many sharp edges that can upset their tummies. We filed ours down but Gracie just demolished them toooooo fast.

In the car, we have a booster seat with a very secure harness system. It has very high sides but one small indention for her to prop and look out window. We use the following harness when walking her. http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=3046157 It is not perfect but she likes it better than other options.

We use a harness in the car that has a seat belt connection and it works pretty well -we don't use a crate for our cavalier at all. I have had three cavaliers over the last 15 years and have found that they are VERY sensitive to any sudden changes in diet whatsoever -we feed our current cavalier a good quality dry food, and for treats, dog biscuits, and samll quantities of cooked chicken or bacon.

Wouldn't ever give too much of either of these -I remember we gave one of our previous cavaliers a cooked bone with very little meat on it, and he had a very upset tummy for about two days -that was the last time we did that! Our new boy LOVES rawhide chews but we would never leave him alone with one as we have heard stories of dogs choking -as soon as they start getting soggy, we bin them. Rubber chews or nylabones do not really interest him -I think they are a little hard and he tires of them quickly.

We use a collar and lead with our current cav as he is quite good on lead -our previous two were real pullers, so we used a harness and it was more suitable for them -wasn't anything fancy but it seemed to be quite comfortable. Some cavaliers have elongated soft palates, and the collar and lead will aggravate this causing them to make this snorting noise if they are pulling hard -we found that the harness eliminated that almost entirely. Current boy is fine with collar and lead though.

Thanks guys, it's good to know about the bones. I will make sure to safe toys and stay away from the bones for now. I never really realized that dogs could really like fruit and vegetables. Hehehe. I always assume dogs are very much into meat and would be insulted ifyou tried anything else. I can't picture myself taking away the rawhide when it's soggy. I'm sure my girl would be like "Hey, that's not finished!" Lol. I think I'd have to stick to other things. Thanks for the great tips everyone.

I just wanted to start by saying how well you held yourself at the breeders that you visited- if only everyone was like that!!

For the car I use a crate ade to fit my boot but to start with when Ruby was a puppy I got a soft travel cage that is easy to transport and creates a safe and dark travel enviroment for the dog. Something like this:http://www.doggiesolutions.co.uk/sof...es-8851-0.html

It fits on the back seat of the car and can be fixed in place and it is also handy when taking the puppy to visit friends or family as it gives them somewhere safe to go out of harms way to sleep!
All in all a fab investment!!!

I would try to keep the puppies food consistent for the first few weeks as they are already dealing witha lot of changes in environment so food is a good thing to keep consistent- as for treats we normally encourage boiled chicken at the puppy classes we run as it is fairly bland and easy to digest but they will find it a great reward.

Harnesses are generally up to you but I prefer the ones that focus the presure on the chest rather than necks/shoulders.

Treat wise I used boiled chicken and fresh veggies0- try to stay away from shop bought and if you want some really gresat treatIdeas then treat yourself to the Ruperts fund receipe book!!! Its got some great receipes and whats more satisfying than making your own doggie treeats- you will know exacty whats in them!!!

Karen

Ruby - my stunning soul mate who defies the odds every dayCharlie- my angel at heart and devil at play

Thank you very much Karen. You had some good tips. I like the idea of boiled chicken. As for things with the breeder, *sigh*. It really made me mad. You know, the worst part is i am having absolutely no luck finding a lil girl and there I was, having a little girl right in front of me. But no, I would not allow myself the temptation. Thank you for your message.

Hang in there with your search

We have been looking for second Cavalier to add to family for a few months and know the right opportunity will come along. I too had to walk away a few times from cute dogs because the breeder or situation was just not right.